“My father was a lighthouse keeper. My mother was a queen. They were never meant to meet. But their love saved the world. They made me what I am: a son of the land, a king of the seas. I am the protector of the deep. I am… Aquaman.”

***

One of the loudest, most ridiculous films in years, Aquaman is the Fast and Furious of comic book movies. It bloats to nearly two and a half hours, yet through the sheer amount of content crammed in hurtles by at lightning pace.

You’ve had enough exposition? Then here’s an explosion to kick start ten-minutes of action (which is how practically every dialogue scene ends). Tired of the underwater world of Atlantis? Then take a jaunt to not-Jurassic Park instead. Want to see an octopus playing the drums? Sure, why not?! It’s admirable just how much it leans into the madness.

Central to it all is Jason Momoa’s infectiously enthusiastic turn as Arthur Curry/Aquaman. It’s difficult to emotionally engage with the character, what with him ladding about constantly, but he’s certainly convincingly heroic. And he’s given plenty of opportunities to display that heroism, director James Wan constructing a series of terrific one-shot action sequences for him to smash through as he faces off against the villainous Black Manta (brilliantly designed, woefully underused) and King Orm (a less charismatic Loki).

As the lead protagonist Arthur Curry is brash, loud and fun; which sums up Aquaman on the whole perfectly.

Rating (out of 5):